Politics: Immigration Reform

As in health care reform, some claim to want "comprehensive" immigration reform.

Call me a skeptic about "comprehensive" solutions. I don't have a lot of confidence that a bunch of experts can dream up a system to handle really huge problems. Perhaps, a more modest approach would be helpful.

In the case of immigration reform there are several issues and perhaps it is best to address them one-by-one rather then trying to "shoot-the-moon" with a comprehensive solution/reform. From what I have gathered, these are the distinct aspects of overall immigration question:
(1) Shortage of high skill labor.
(2) Shortage of low skill labor.
(3) Illegal immigrants who are already here.
(4) Border security.

Issue #1
High tech companies need highly skilled workers and they complain the US doesn't produce enough scientists, engineers, programmers, etc. They want to hire those kinds of workers from overseas and are unable to hire enough because the quotas are quickly filled up. I wonder where the political opposition comes from on this issue? Why not allow the best and the brightest to come here to work with the option of citizenship down the road? I suppose there could be some who are security risks but I would imagine a company doing the hiring would be highly motivated to avoid that kind of problem.

Issue #2
Illegal immigration which is down right now due to bad economic conditions in the USA will rise again when the economy recovers. As it is, some low skill jobs are filled by illegal immigrants. Why not bring them into the legal system by offering some kind of temporary workers program? Thus, companies can hire people in a legal manner and those illegals who want to be law abiding have the option. Again, down the road, some of these could be put on the citizenship track.

Issue #3
Apparently there are a number of people who have been in the USA for a long time but have lived in the shadows as illegal immigrants yet in all other ways have been law abiding contributing members of the society. The Dream Act was supposed to provide a path to citizenship for those who enter military service or obtain a college education. Hopefully, that plan can be re-visited.

Issue #4
The sad reality is that as long as Mexico teeters on economic collapse and drug lord violence, people will make the dash across the border with the risks that involves. As I see it, this goes hand-in-hand with issue 2. Tighten the border but also have the valve of a temporary workers program. This would provide incentives for compliance with legal mechanisms of immigration and employment.